Widener University (USA)

Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1821, Widener University now has an enrollment of over 6,000 students in eight schools. Widener is committed to contributing to the vitality and well being of the communities it serves through experiential learning, service learning, educational initiatives, economic development, and community building. Widener University’s website>>

Office for Community Engagement and Diversity Initiatives

The Office for Community Engagement and Diversity Initiatives serves as the information and referral point for the President, academic and administrative departments, and other internal and external constituencies to build community relations and strategic partnerships with the local community. The Office promotes civic engagement initiatives through fostering university and community partnerships; collaborates with and supports faculty engaged in service-learning and community-based research; broadens staff volunteerism in the community; and assists in the development of strategies that address the social, economic, and educational needs of the local community. Learn more>>

Community Service at Widener

Some of the many ways that Widener promotes community service among its students include: An Alternative Spring Break that sends about 80 students volunteers every spring break to work at Habitat for Humanity sites around the country; the Bigs Program, a collaboration with Big Brothers/Big Sisters that allows university students to befriend and mentor students from a local elementary school; the Annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in which students assist low-income local residents with their income tax returns; the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service; the Annual Red Cross Blood Drive; and the Widener Cares Tutoring Project which connects university students with students from local elementary and middle schools. Learn more>>

Service Learning at Widener

Widener emphasizes experiential and service learning through a variety of curriculum clinics such as: Social Work Counseling Services (SWCS) which provides social work and psychological services to Chester community residents free of charge; Law Clinics at the Widener School of Law, including the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic which focuses on legal issues related to protecting the environmental resources, and the Veterans Law Clinic, which assists war veterans and their dependents with legal issues related to the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Biofeedback Center and the Neuropsychology Assessment Center which provide clinical assessments and services to the public at lower rates than private medical practices for the treatment of a variety of psychological disorders and physical conditions. Learn more>>